Fall is rapidly approaching, and apple harvest season is here. Helping to shed some light on 2019’s apple harvest, Susan Brown, professor of horticulture and world-renowned apple breeder; Kerik Cox, professor of plant pathology who specializes in fungal and bacterial diseases of apples; Arthur Agnello, entomology professor who focuses on tree fruit pests and pest management, weigh in on this year’s crop and growing season.

Food & Agriculture

New York State

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Labor advocates in New York state are pushing to secure benefits and protection for gig-economy workers by setting a new standard for what qualifies as an ‘independent contractor.’ The proposed law uses an approach called the ‘ABC test’ to determine if a worker is an employee. At an unrelated press conference earlier this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signaled interest in redefining workers’ status. Maria Figueroa, director of Labor and Policy Research at the Cornell University ILR School’s Worker Institute, says that beyond protecting workers’ rights, the coalition’s approach is also potentially beneficial to state’s tax revenue base.

New York State

Industrial and Labor Relations

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Aaron Rice of Cornell University's Bioacoustics Research Program and John Fitzpatrick of the Lab of Ornithology say that a series of bills proposing to ban oil and gas drilling off the U.S. coastline would protect vulnerable and endangered wildlife.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Law and Policy

Lab of Ornithology

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Office-sharing company WeWork is reportedly considering slashing its initial valuation to below $20 billion, a price that falls far short of the firm’s private valuation from January. Drew Pascarella, senior lecturer of finance in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, says that WeWork’s underwhelming position points to several shortcomings in the firm’s financing and business model.

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Economics and Business

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Maria Cristina Garcia says that changes proposed by the White House to U.S. refugee programs are unconscionable given that refugee admissions quota is at its lowest level since 1980.

Law and Policy

Cornell in DC

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As Dorian continues to make its way up the East Coast this week, agriculture producers are warned extreme weather and flooding could devastate crops. Two Cornell University experts – David Wolfe and Harold van Es – explain the impacts Dorian could have on crop harvest and the soil in the Southeast, as well as preventative measures farmers are taking to combat damage from these reoccurring destructive storms.

Food & Agriculture

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Over the weekend Argentinian President Macri announced the imposition of capital controls in an effort to stabilize the country’s currency and avoid a deepening of the current financial crisis. Cornell University experts weigh in on what to expect as the Latin American country continues to tackle its debt crisis.

International

Arts and Sciences

Law and Policy

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Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University and a faculty fellow at Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, comments on the Trump administration's plan to ease regulations for methane emissions.

Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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Earlier this morning, the UK government suspended Parliament, following a request by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The move is seen as an attempt from Johnson to push for a no-deal Brexit and even trigger a constitutional crisis. Alexandra Cirone, professor in Cornell University’s department of government and an expert in European politics, says that today’s developments leave the opposition scrambling for ways to challenge the move on legal grounds. 

Arts and Sciences

International

Law and Policy

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Drew Margolin says that Facebook's new rules will likely slow down illegitimate advertisers, but the effect for users will depend on how Facebook flags political advertisements

Law and Policy

Economics and Business

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